It's hard to believe I've been away from this blogsite for so long - my apologies to everyone for falling down on the job! In my excitement to go to Western Australia, then home for the holidays, then Chinese New Year, then my new exercise program...well, you get the picture!
We had a lovely time in WA - definitely helped us recover from our homesickness and desperate need for a horizon. The area is remarkably similar to Northern California with its rolling hills, dry crisp days, vineyards, and the ubiquitous "iron wood" trees. It was late spring there and we enjoyed touring the countryside, the seaside, even the strange limestone formations called the Pinnacles. It took a bit of getting used to the chilly wind along the coast, but then again it was a familiar feeling, much like going to Drakes Bay or Carmel. We stayed in Swan Valley, which is northeast of Perth and eerily reminded us of Napa Valley in the late 70s, with its funky little wineries, boutique craft stores, and small green-shaded lanes promising excitement ahead. The absolute best part of Swan Valley was Whiteman Park, where we got all the up-close-and-personal time we could with for, with kangaroos and even the ever-sleepy eyed but eternally cute koalas. We found a wonderful collection of paintings by a relocated Kiwi that incorporate the best of pointillism and primitive art and brought one home for our own. I would have dearly loved to tote one of the digeradoos home, but was told technically women aren't supposed to play them, so I said to heck with that!
Before I knew it, it was time to head back to California for the holidays. I was not really looking forward to the two weeks before Randy got home, as I knew it would be a lot of cleaning up both inside and outside, especially the mounds of leaves from our numerous deciduous trees. And I had a little Christmas shopping to finish, as well as what decorating I could do to celebrate Christmas. The time flew by, and before I knew it, Randy was coming home and it was time to load up the RV for our trip to Texas. It took three medium-long days to get there, but it was great to see our daughter and son-in-law and their new place in the country. Middle Texas can definitely get cold in the winter, and although we didn't see snow until our return trip, it was so cold our water line to the trailer froze one night! We met all their animals, of which they have several, and only had issues with their donkey, who loved playing with not only our water hose to the trailer, but the electrical supply, which we had to quickly stop. Maybe on our next trip, they'll have some animals that produce something like eggs or milk.
We had an interesting trip home, complete with sandstorm, rail, sleet, snow, and hail, but made it safely back to California about 36 hours before we had to leave to return to Singapore. What a race!
We didn't go anywhere for Chinese New Year, but did decorate a bit more than last year, since it is the year of the metal rabbit, which both Randy and I are. We feel 2011 is going to be a special year for us, since we both turn 60, it's our Chinese birth year, and we celebrate 40 years of marriage, as well. We're looking forward to celebrating with our cousins, who also got married in 1971, this June/July with a cruise/tour to Alaska.
This month we will be visiting Da Nang in Viet Nam with two other families and another friend from Genentech. We've booked a hotel right on China Beach, popular with American GIs during the Vietnam War, being close to the old DMZ (demilitarized zone.) Da Nang's placement between the mountains and the sea should provide us with spectacular views, and the nearby town of Hoi An has many historical sights to explore.
Thanks for your patience in my belated postings, and I intend to provide more in-depth commentary soon, now that I have brought everyone up to date.
